32 New Stour & Avon, January 28, 2022
Farming & Environment
A Day at the Farm...
with Tiffany Fleming
Tiffany Fleming is a volunteer at High Mead Farm in Longham, Ferndown. High Mead Farm is a working farm run to promote the benefits of engaging with animals, soil, and nature. They ‘create purposeful roles for our cofarmers, young people and adults alike, to help bring about a sense of well-being and self-worth that many have never experienced before’. No sooner had I despatched my last column bemoaning the impact of the unseasonably mild weather, a cold snap hit. At last, the grey skies and relentless rain finally cleared, making way for cooler nights and pretty diamond frosted dawns that make everything on the farm sparkle. The change in the weather has caused us all to do a new dance, the ‘Farm Foot Shuffle’, where we stamp our feet whilst shuffling along in an effort to keep our toes from feeling the chill. At least the early morning frozen ground puts paid to the mud for a few hours a
day. A couple of very wet months has resulted in the ground becoming a thick,
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sticky, mire which clings to everything it comes into contact with, snatching at your wellies at every opportunity. This week, the animal team has been particularly busy, working hard to keep fur and feather warm and dry – hard work at this time of year. The team also had an inspection from APHA (the Animal and Plant Health Agency, an executive agency of Defra) who were very pleased with all they saw. Three new rabbits arrived, all male, a purchase from New Forest Pet Rescue. They will be neutered before being given the chance to speeddate some of our single
ladies in an effort to find their soul mates. The CoFarmers get to name two of the bunnies, a process which involves putting names in a hat. There have been some great suggestions so far, although it can be a dangerous game to play. After inviting name suggestions for one of the ponies, we almost ended up with a horse called U-bend! I’ll keep you posted on the outcome. Unusually, this week my time has mainly been spent off-site. I was invited to present to the Ladies’ Section of Ferndown Golf Club at a coffee morning gathering. We considered taking a few
